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The fundamentals of management remain the same: establishing a framework, providing feedback, setting goals, and helping a team grow. However, the situations in which managers carry out their roles have changed.
Organizations must navigate successive transformations, increasingly cross-functional teams, artificial intelligence, hybrid work models, and sustained economic pressure. In this context, managers must draw on their skills in more complex situations, with fewer stable reference points and greater interdependencies.
The"Key Skills 2026" study conducted by NUMA highlights four priorities: influencing without authority, developing a business culture, establishing sustainable performance, and continuous learning.
These priorities do not replace fundamental managerial skills. They show how to strengthen those skills to address current situations.
Managerial skills refer to the abilities that enable a manager to provide direction, make decisions, develop their team, and maintain a positive team dynamic. By 2026, these skills will be applied in environments that are more cross-functional, fast-paced, and often less predictable.
A manager can no longer rely solely on their status or subject-matter expertise. They must also foster alignment, facilitate cooperation, and help their team make sound decisions when information is incomplete.
The NUMA study highlights, in particular, four questions that organizations must address:
These four priorities provide a framework for evolving management practices without losing sight of the fundamentals.
Managers are increasingly required to engage people who do not report directly to them. Cross-functional projects bring together experts, support staff, sales teams, project managers, and business subject matter experts. In these situations, hierarchical authority alone is not enough to secure buy-in.
According to the study cited by NUMA, 47% of employees say they do not know how to adopt the right approaches to get their ideas across. 38% also report having difficulty identifying and overcoming their barriers to change.
These findings highlight a real challenge: employees must persuade others, cooperate, and drive decisions forward without always having formal authority. The manager’s role, then, is to clarify the direction, facilitate communication, and create an environment where everyone can do their part.
Influencing does not mean imposing. Managers must understand the interests at stake, listen to objections, and link the decision to a shared goal. They can also empower employees to explain the change themselves to their teams or stakeholders.
In a matrix organization, a project may progress slowly because several teams are pursuing different priorities. The manager can then schedule an alignment session to redefine the common goal and clarify which decisions fall under each team’s purview.
To develop this skill, managers can focus on:
A manager who influences effectively does not try to convince everyone in the same way. Instead, he creates the conditions for everyone to understand the rationale behind the decision and take action.
This skill also depends on the manager’s consistency. A team will be more likely to trust a manager if he or she models the behaviors they expect from others. The manager must show that he or she welcomes questions, is willing to adjust his or her position, and can recognize when there is a problem.
The Collaborative Leadership Training can help managers develop this ability to mobilize, coordinate, and lead a team forward.
Business culture is no longer limited to sales teams or executive leadership. It helps every team understand how their decisions impact customers, results, and the organization’s priorities.
The NUMA study indicates that 43% of employees do not feel comfortable preparing for a negotiation. It also shows that 46% do not know how to assess the impact of their decisions on customers.
These challenges can arise in very everyday situations. A team may optimize an internal process without considering the customer experience it creates. A support department may handle a request quickly without understanding its impact on the overall customer journey. A manager may track a metric without connecting its trends to decisions made on the ground.
Developing a business culture involves providing teams with guidelines to help them better understand this chain of consequences. The customer becomes the benchmark for making judgments, setting priorities, and making decisions.
Managers can help change practices by regularly asking a few questions:
Let’s take the example of a team that wants to reduce the time it takes to process requests. Speed isn’t the only criterion. The manager must also assess the quality of the response, the team’s understanding of the need, and any potential impact on other teams.
A business culture is useful when it helps teams make better decisions, not when it simply adds new metrics.
This approach also requires the development of certain individual skills. Managers and their teams must learn to listen, negotiate, make decisions in the face of uncertainty, articulate a position, and take initiative within a clear framework.
The "Deciding in the Face of Uncertainty" training course can complement this discussion. Managers can also rely on delegation, active listening, and goal-setting to align day-to-day decisions with the organization’s priorities.
Sustainable performance enables a team to maintain its momentum over the long term without operating at a constant state of overload. It is based on clear priorities, explicit trade-offs, and the ability to address challenges before they become roadblocks.
The study indicates that 44% of managers do not feel comfortable delegating the management of goals. It also shows that 38% of employees have difficulty conducting difficult one-on-one conversations.
These weaknesses have tangible consequences. When a manager retains too much decision-making authority, the team becomes dependent. When sensitive issues are avoided, tensions arise. When priorities change without explanation, employees scatter their energy and lose sight of the expected outcome.
Establishing sustainable performance therefore begins with the managerial framework. Managers must clarify priorities, define the level of autonomy for each employee, and schedule follow-up meetings to adjust course of action as needed.
A team cannot address every request with the same level of attention. The manager must make it clear which requests are being set aside and explain the trade-offs. Saying that a task will have to wait often helps better protect the actual priorities.
To manage workload and maintain performance, managers can take several steps:
Sustainability doesn't mean asking teams to take on more. It means creating a framework that allows for managing the workload and making decisions at the right time.
Delegation plays a central role here. The manager must specify the responsibility entrusted, the expected level of decision-making, and the situations that require an alert. Without this framework, delegation becomes either a mere passing off of tasks or constant monitoring.
Difficult conversations are just as important. A manager who avoids a sensitive topic often allows tension to build. They can prepare for the conversation, rely on specific facts, and explain the expected behavior without reducing the person to their mistake.
Training courses focused on prioritization, delegation and managing emotions and conflicts can help managers navigate these situations.
Jobs are evolving rapidly, but career development paths don’t always keep pace. Employees must learn new methods, use new tools, and develop skills that weren’t always expected in their original roles.
The manager's role is to put these changes into practice. He or she must help everyone understand the necessary skills, the situations in which they will be useful, and how to develop them.
An organization may offer training without fostering genuine growth. If managers do not connect what is learned to real-world work situations, new practices remain difficult to apply. The challenge, therefore, is to establish a link between skill development and day-to-day decision-making.
For example, a manager can work with their team to identify the skills that are essential for the success of an upcoming project. They can then determine which aspects require training, peer coaching, practical exercises, or feedback.
To foster a culture of learning, he can:
Continuous learning doesn't mean adding training sessions to your schedule. It means creating regular opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and adjust your methods.
Managers must also accept that they are not the sole source of knowledge. A team can learn from a colleague’s experience, a community of practice, a cross-functional project, or a situation that forces them to step outside their comfort zone.
This approach fosters autonomy. It also helps teams better prepare for changes that cannot yet be fully anticipated.
Training programs, individual coaching, and peer-to-peer exchanges can address different needs. The NUMA pedagogy and coaching offer complementary approaches to embed learning in real-world work situations.
The four priorities identified for 2026 must not remain mere intentions. They can be incorporated into our daily routines, conversations, and decisions.
A manager can start by choosing a specific situation:
Based on this situation, he can identify the relevant priority and choose a practice to test. The debrief then allows him to observe what has changed and what still needs to be adjusted.
A team can also set aside time each month to address one of these questions: How can we cooperate more effectively without a hierarchical structure? How can we align our decisions with customer needs? How can we better manage our workload? What skills do we need to develop to succeed in the coming months?
This approach ensures continuity in managerial development. It avoids treating skills as a subject separate from actual work.
To learn more about the broader foundation of managerial skills, see also the article The 5 Essential Management Skills.
The managerial skills to be developed in 2026 address specific situations:
These priorities do not replace the fundamentals of management. They show how to apply those fundamentals in environments where teams collaborate more, where decisions must be made more quickly, and where skills are constantly evolving.
Management development is most effective when it is based on real-world situations. Identify a pain point, choose a practice to test, and set aside time for follow-up. It is this continuity between learning and action that allows skills to take root. To structure this approach across your organization, explore NUMA’s training and coaching programs.
The fundamentals of management remain the same: establishing a framework, providing feedback, setting goals, and helping a team grow. However, the situations in which managers carry out their roles have changed.
Organizations must navigate successive transformations, increasingly cross-functional teams, artificial intelligence, hybrid work models, and sustained economic pressure. In this context, managers must draw on their skills in more complex situations, with fewer stable reference points and greater interdependencies.
The"Key Skills 2026" study conducted by NUMA highlights four priorities: influencing without authority, developing a business culture, establishing sustainable performance, and continuous learning.
These priorities do not replace fundamental managerial skills. They show how to strengthen those skills to address current situations.
Managerial skills refer to the abilities that enable a manager to provide direction, make decisions, develop their team, and maintain a positive team dynamic. By 2026, these skills will be applied in environments that are more cross-functional, fast-paced, and often less predictable.
A manager can no longer rely solely on their status or subject-matter expertise. They must also foster alignment, facilitate cooperation, and help their team make sound decisions when information is incomplete.
The NUMA study highlights, in particular, four questions that organizations must address:
These four priorities provide a framework for evolving management practices without losing sight of the fundamentals.
Managers are increasingly required to engage people who do not report directly to them. Cross-functional projects bring together experts, support staff, sales teams, project managers, and business subject matter experts. In these situations, hierarchical authority alone is not enough to secure buy-in.
According to the study cited by NUMA, 47% of employees say they do not know how to adopt the right approaches to get their ideas across. 38% also report having difficulty identifying and overcoming their barriers to change.
These findings highlight a real challenge: employees must persuade others, cooperate, and drive decisions forward without always having formal authority. The manager’s role, then, is to clarify the direction, facilitate communication, and create an environment where everyone can do their part.
Influencing does not mean imposing. Managers must understand the interests at stake, listen to objections, and link the decision to a shared goal. They can also empower employees to explain the change themselves to their teams or stakeholders.
In a matrix organization, a project may progress slowly because several teams are pursuing different priorities. The manager can then schedule an alignment session to redefine the common goal and clarify which decisions fall under each team’s purview.
To develop this skill, managers can focus on:
A manager who influences effectively does not try to convince everyone in the same way. Instead, he creates the conditions for everyone to understand the rationale behind the decision and take action.
This skill also depends on the manager’s consistency. A team will be more likely to trust a manager if he or she models the behaviors they expect from others. The manager must show that he or she welcomes questions, is willing to adjust his or her position, and can recognize when there is a problem.
The Collaborative Leadership Training can help managers develop this ability to mobilize, coordinate, and lead a team forward.
Business culture is no longer limited to sales teams or executive leadership. It helps every team understand how their decisions impact customers, results, and the organization’s priorities.
The NUMA study indicates that 43% of employees do not feel comfortable preparing for a negotiation. It also shows that 46% do not know how to assess the impact of their decisions on customers.
These challenges can arise in very everyday situations. A team may optimize an internal process without considering the customer experience it creates. A support department may handle a request quickly without understanding its impact on the overall customer journey. A manager may track a metric without connecting its trends to decisions made on the ground.
Developing a business culture involves providing teams with guidelines to help them better understand this chain of consequences. The customer becomes the benchmark for making judgments, setting priorities, and making decisions.
Managers can help change practices by regularly asking a few questions:
Let’s take the example of a team that wants to reduce the time it takes to process requests. Speed isn’t the only criterion. The manager must also assess the quality of the response, the team’s understanding of the need, and any potential impact on other teams.
A business culture is useful when it helps teams make better decisions, not when it simply adds new metrics.
This approach also requires the development of certain individual skills. Managers and their teams must learn to listen, negotiate, make decisions in the face of uncertainty, articulate a position, and take initiative within a clear framework.
The "Deciding in the Face of Uncertainty" training course can complement this discussion. Managers can also rely on delegation, active listening, and goal-setting to align day-to-day decisions with the organization’s priorities.
Sustainable performance enables a team to maintain its momentum over the long term without operating at a constant state of overload. It is based on clear priorities, explicit trade-offs, and the ability to address challenges before they become roadblocks.
The study indicates that 44% of managers do not feel comfortable delegating the management of goals. It also shows that 38% of employees have difficulty conducting difficult one-on-one conversations.
These weaknesses have tangible consequences. When a manager retains too much decision-making authority, the team becomes dependent. When sensitive issues are avoided, tensions arise. When priorities change without explanation, employees scatter their energy and lose sight of the expected outcome.
Establishing sustainable performance therefore begins with the managerial framework. Managers must clarify priorities, define the level of autonomy for each employee, and schedule follow-up meetings to adjust course of action as needed.
A team cannot address every request with the same level of attention. The manager must make it clear which requests are being set aside and explain the trade-offs. Saying that a task will have to wait often helps better protect the actual priorities.
To manage workload and maintain performance, managers can take several steps:
Sustainability doesn't mean asking teams to take on more. It means creating a framework that allows for managing the workload and making decisions at the right time.
Delegation plays a central role here. The manager must specify the responsibility entrusted, the expected level of decision-making, and the situations that require an alert. Without this framework, delegation becomes either a mere passing off of tasks or constant monitoring.
Difficult conversations are just as important. A manager who avoids a sensitive topic often allows tension to build. They can prepare for the conversation, rely on specific facts, and explain the expected behavior without reducing the person to their mistake.
Training courses focused on prioritization, delegation and managing emotions and conflicts can help managers navigate these situations.
Jobs are evolving rapidly, but career development paths don’t always keep pace. Employees must learn new methods, use new tools, and develop skills that weren’t always expected in their original roles.
The manager's role is to put these changes into practice. He or she must help everyone understand the necessary skills, the situations in which they will be useful, and how to develop them.
An organization may offer training without fostering genuine growth. If managers do not connect what is learned to real-world work situations, new practices remain difficult to apply. The challenge, therefore, is to establish a link between skill development and day-to-day decision-making.
For example, a manager can work with their team to identify the skills that are essential for the success of an upcoming project. They can then determine which aspects require training, peer coaching, practical exercises, or feedback.
To foster a culture of learning, he can:
Continuous learning doesn't mean adding training sessions to your schedule. It means creating regular opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and adjust your methods.
Managers must also accept that they are not the sole source of knowledge. A team can learn from a colleague’s experience, a community of practice, a cross-functional project, or a situation that forces them to step outside their comfort zone.
This approach fosters autonomy. It also helps teams better prepare for changes that cannot yet be fully anticipated.
Training programs, individual coaching, and peer-to-peer exchanges can address different needs. The NUMA pedagogy and coaching offer complementary approaches to embed learning in real-world work situations.
The four priorities identified for 2026 must not remain mere intentions. They can be incorporated into our daily routines, conversations, and decisions.
A manager can start by choosing a specific situation:
Based on this situation, he can identify the relevant priority and choose a practice to test. The debrief then allows him to observe what has changed and what still needs to be adjusted.
A team can also set aside time each month to address one of these questions: How can we cooperate more effectively without a hierarchical structure? How can we align our decisions with customer needs? How can we better manage our workload? What skills do we need to develop to succeed in the coming months?
This approach ensures continuity in managerial development. It avoids treating skills as a subject separate from actual work.
To learn more about the broader foundation of managerial skills, see also the article The 5 Essential Management Skills.
The managerial skills to be developed in 2026 address specific situations:
These priorities do not replace the fundamentals of management. They show how to apply those fundamentals in environments where teams collaborate more, where decisions must be made more quickly, and where skills are constantly evolving.
Management development is most effective when it is based on real-world situations. Identify a pain point, choose a practice to test, and set aside time for follow-up. It is this continuity between learning and action that allows skills to take root. To structure this approach across your organization, explore NUMA’s training and coaching programs.
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